Serena Williams crashes out of Wimbledon as Andy Murray coasts to the Quarter Finals

02/07/2013

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It was another day of drama at Wimbledon yesterday as Serena Williams went crashing out of the tournament in perhaps the greatest upset in a year of upsets. Seeing Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer bowing out in the early stages may have been seismic shocks, but Serena’s total domination of the women’s game made her triumph seem almost inevitable.

Germany's Sabine Lisicki defeated Ms Williams in three sets - 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. The 24th-seed took the first set, but with Serena trouncing her in the second and up 3-0 in the third, the writing seemed very much on the wall. And yet somehow, Ms Lisicki came thundering back to end the American’s 34 match winning streak. Serena had seemed tight throughout the game, never quite settling into a sustained rhythm. She berated herself throughout the match and her frustration was evident as Lisicki battled with immense heart, breaking Williams back to back in the third set and saving countless breakpoints on her own serve. With Serena out, the women’s draw is wide open.

But alas no longer open to Britain’s Linda Robson, who has impressed many this year with her advance through the tournament, saw her hopes fizzle and die against the Estonian, Kaia Kanepi in the fourth round. Robson fought hard in the tight two set match but surrendered in the end to a 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 straight sets defeat.

Andy Murray however still looks like a genuine hope for the title, though he will have to consider the blistering form of Novak Djokovic. Murray coasted past the grass court specialist Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets, winning 6-4, 7-6, 6-1, although he did seem to go to pieces in a gruelling 75 minute second set before bouncing back to win comfortably.

Who knows what lies in store today in the most open Wimbledon in years.